Automatic vehicle jack



Aug. 1, G RAMQNDETTA 1,920,216

AUTOMATIC VEHICLE JACK Filed May 14, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN VEN TOR 6mm Rama/2mm BY & ATTORNE 1, 1933- G. RAMONDETTA 1,920,216

AUTOMATIC VEHI OLE JACK Filed May 14, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VEN TOR Gaezarzo Eamandetm A TTORNE Y Patented Aug. 1, 1933 g 1,920,216 AUTOMATIC VEHICLE JACK Gaetano Ramondetta, New York, N. Y., assignor' of ten per cent. to Thomas Pupillo, ten percent to Giovanno Lopizzo, teniper cent to Anthony Seta, thirty per cent to 'Sebastiano Ccstanzo,

and ten per cent to New York, N. Y.

Sebastiano Riebera, all of Application May 14, 1930. SerialNo. 452,239 g 4 Claims. (01. 254-126.)

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in an automobile jack. 1

The invention has for, an object the provision of a device of the class mentioned which is of simple durable construction, dependable in use and efficient in action, and which can be manufactured and sold at a reasonable cost;

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objectsand advantages thereof,.ref-

erence will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth. Y

In the accompanying drawings .forming a material part of this disclosureu- Fig; lis .a front elevational View of a motor vehicle provided with a jack constructedaccording to this invention. I

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the chassis of the motor vehicle shown inFig. 1. v

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional View taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1. f

Fig. 4. is an enlarged sectional detailedview of a portion of Fig; 1. a

. Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional detailed view of another portion of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detailed View of one of the cross rods shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. '7 is a bottom elevational view of one of the jacks, per se. w

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 88 of Fig. 2..

It is intended that the automobile jacks be used in combination with the chassislo ofa motor vehicle 11, and consistof a jack 112 attached on the front ofv the chassis and another jack 13 attached on the rear andeachof said jacks comprising a transverse member 14, a screw 15 rotativelysupported .on said transverse member 14, a follower 16 slidably mounted .on said member 14 and threadedly engaging lower 16, rollers 22 on the bottom of said rods,

said rods being of telescoping sections 23.and 24,

means for rotating the screw 15 in one or the otherdirection by connection of the motor of the vehicle 11 to cause said rods'l'l, 18 to extend or to assume normally folded condition or, an extreme folded condition, and'means for'latching the sections 23,- 21 of said rods in adjustedpositionsinsaid extended or folded condition and automatically .unlatching said sections for new adjustments in saidextreme' folded condition. The working mechanism is covered by a safety shield plate 10'.' H

.The transverse member 14 is supported by a The rotative supporting of. the screw 15 is,accomplished by spaced standardsZO and 26. The slidable mounting of the follower 16 upon the transverse member 14 is accomplished by a dovetailed arrangement as may be seen from aninspection ofv Fig. 3. 'Each of the jacks 12,113vv is shown provided with two pairs of the pivoted cross rods indicated by reference numeral 17 and 18., The pivoting of these cross rods is accomplished intermediate. of their ends as indicated by reference numeral 27.

As shown on the drawings, the rod sections 24 are the bottom ones and the sections 23 the top ones. It is the. section's'23 which are pivotally connectedat 27. The'sections 24 are slidably engaged within the sections 23 so as to be extendable to various distances. The means for rotating the screw 15 as before recited consistsof a worm wheel-28 fixed upon the screw and meshing With' a worm pinion 29. The front jack 12 is shown provided with a transmission shaft 30 supporting the said worm pinion 29 and extending .intoza gear box 31 and carrying a gear 32 slidably mounted on a. square portion of the shaft. -A conventional shift stick may be pro vided for shifting the gear 32, but such stick is not shown on the drawings since such sticks are generally known. Thegear 32 may be moved so as to engage with a gear 33 rotating in one direction on a shaft, or a gear 34 rotating in the opposite direction on a'shaft and said gears receive their rotations from a chain 35 connected with the motor of the vehicle. V

The worm pinion 29 of the rear. jack 13 is fixed upon a transmission shaft 36 also extending into the gearbox 31. A universal joint 37 is shown interposed between the ends of the shaft36. A gear 38 is slidably mounted upon the portion of the shaft within the box 31 and is intended for engagement by a shifting stick so as to be movable to either mesh with a gear39 connectedfor rotating in one direction or mesh with the gear 34 connected for rotating in the opposite direction, or to assume a neutral position.

Signaljcircuits are also provided for indicating to the operator of the device when the rods assume the'extended position or when they assume the normally folded position or the extreme foldpair. ofmetallic straps [25 onto'the chassis 10.

ed position. These circuits are shown to consist of a pair of contacts 40 positioned on the member 14 and connected in a circuit which includes asignal lamp 41. Theposition of the contacts 40 are such that .when-jthe follower 16 reaches a position in which the cross rods are fully extended the circuit is closed across the contacts 40 for lighting the lamp 41. The op erator then knows that the fully extended position has been reached and moves his shift todis connect the screw 15, preventing further rotat ing thereof. i

Another pair of contacts 42. are arranged upon the member 14 also in the path of motion of the follower :16, but so located that the circuit ,is

closed across thesecontacts when the crossed rods 17 and 18 are in the normally folded positions. The contacts 42 are connected in arcir cuit which includes asignal lamp 43 to 'indi-- cats to the operator when this condition of the rods haslbeen reached. her reaching the extremely fclded condition, it is necessary, that r the contacts 42 be shifted'so that the circuit to the lamp 43 is closed by the follower 16 in anvother position in which such extremely folde'cl' position of the cross rods exists. For this reason a rod44 is attached upon a block supportingthe finger 49 pivotally mounted intermediate of its 1 ends upon each of thesections 23 and arranged contacts 42 and terminates in a handle 45 f0r 0, manual manipulation, A spring 46 acts between the block holding the contacts 42 and some stationary part for normally urging the block into the position first'mentioned.

The screw 15 has non-threadedportions so that if thefollower "16L moves too. far one way or the other it merely moves off the threads and then the .screw is free to idle without anydamage being doneflto the apparatus. Springs 4B are arranged upon the non-threaded portions of a the screws so as to normally tend to urge the follower 16 back into engagement with the screws for insuring threaded engagements of these parts when the rotation of the screw is reversed. The means forlatching the sectionsof the rods is in adjusted positions in extended orfolded condition of the cross rods and automatically unlatching these sections for new adjustments in said extreme foldedjconditions consists of a so that itsfront end 50 is adapted to engage in rack teeth 51formed in the sections 24. A very 1 strong spring 52 normally urges the front of the finger into engagement withthe rack. The rear end of the finger 53'is engageable against stationary projections '5'iwh'en the crossed rods assume theextreme'folded position so as to cause the fingers to be pivoted into inoperative posi lower 16 reaches the position to close the cir cuits across contacts the lamp 41 lights, signal-- ing to the operator that the cross rods of the jack have been fully extended sothat he may move -the,particular gear which connects] the transmission shaft of the particular rack with the motor of the vehicle to the neutral position.

the spring efi in Fig.5. shaft 15 may be continued until the signal lamp 43 indicates theextreme folded position of the cross'rodsi In-this extreme folded position the the follower ld' noves in the opposite direction and upon reaching the contacts 42 signals by the lamp 4:3 for, the operator to discontinue further ;;rotation of the shaft 15. In the event that the operator wishes; to extend the rod sections 24 so relative to the pivot point 27 as may he 11eces- ,jsarywhen the 'inotor vehicle carries different loads, it. is merely necessary to manually move the handle .45 so 'as to move the contacts 42 to a position" to the extreme right as permitted'by Then rotation of the free ends 53'of the pivoted fingers l9 engage against the projections 54 sothat the front ends 50 disengagefrom the rack teeth'5l. The sec tions zr-may then be manually moved to new adjusted positions; Then the screw 15 may be rotated in the opposite direction for causing the follower 16 to assume the position in which the cross rods are intheir normallyfolded condition and now the'device is in its original phase.

While I have shown and describedthe preferred embodiment of my invention, it is'to be under-- stood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described 'my invention, what l claim 'as new,iand desire" to secure by; United States Letters Patent is:-'- a 1. In combination with the chassis of a motor vehicle, a jack attached on the front and rear thereof, each comprising a transverse member, a screw rotatively supported thereon, {a follower slidably mounted on saidmember and threadedly engaging said screw, a stationary member fixed upon said transverse member, pairs of spaced pivoted cross rods each pair having one top end pivotally mounted on'the stationary member and the other top end pivotally mounted on said follower, rollers on the bottomof said rods, said rods being of telescoping sections, means for rotating said screw in one ,or the other direction by connection with the motor of said vehicle to cause said rods to extender assume a normally folded conditioner an extreme folded condition, and means for latching the sections of said rods r in adjusted positions in said extended or folded otally mounted on the stationary member and the othertop end pivotally mounted on said follower, rollers on the bottom of said rods, said rodsbeing of telescoping sections, means ferrota'ting said screw in one or the other direction by connection with the motor of said vehicle to =causesaid rods to'extend or assume a normally folded "condition or an extreme folded condition,

a and means for latching the sections of said rods in adjusted positions in said extended or folded condition and automatically unlatching said sections for new adjustments in said extreme folded condition, said cross rods being pivoted intermediate of their ends and on the upper telescoping sections.

3. In combination with the chassis of a motor vehicle, a jack attached on the front and rear thereof, each comprising a transverse member, a screw rotatively supported thereon, a follower slidably mounted'on said member and threadedly o engaging said screw, a stationary member fixed upon said transverse member, pairs of spaced pivoted cross rods each pair having one top end pivotally mounted on the stationary member and the other top end pivotally mounted on said follower, rollers on the bottom of said rods, said rods being of telescoping sections, means for rotating said screw in one or the other direction by connection with the motor of said-vehicle to cause said rods to extend or assume a normally folded condition or an extreme'folded condition, and means for latching the sections of said rods in adjusted positions in said extended or folded condition and automatically unlatching said sections for new adjustments in said extreme folded condition, said means for rotating said screw in one or the other direction comprising a gear box, a

a shift, stick controlling said gear box, a trans mission shaft connected with said gear box, a worm pinion mounted on said transmission shaft,

and a worm wheel attached upon the screw and meshing with said worm pinion.

4. In combination with the chassis of a motor vehicle, a jack attached on the front and rearscrew in one or the other direction by connection with the motor of said vehicle to cause said rods to extend or assume a normally folded condition or I an extreme folded condition, and means for latching the sections of said rods in adjusted positions in said extended or folded condition and automatically unlatching said sections for new adjustments in said extreme folded condition, comprising a fingerpivotally-mounted intermediate of its ends on one of the sections, rack teeth formed in the other of said sections means for urging the front end of said finger into said rack teeth, and stationary members for abutting "against the rear end of said pivoted fingers in the extreme folded condition of said cross rods for lifting the front ends of the fingers out of the rack teeth.

GAETANO RAMONDE'IIA. 

